Doctoral student position in Latin

Type of employment: Fixed-term employment, 48 months
Extent: 100 %
Location: Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, Gothenburg
First day of employment: Upon agreement but no earlier than 1 of september 2015
Reference number: UR 2015/179

The department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, FLoV, was created on 1 January 2009 and consists of the subjects linguistics, practical and theoretical philosophy, logic and the philosophy of science.
The announcement is made in connection with the research programme Representation and Reality: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Aristotelian Tradition (funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond) at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science. The doctoral student will work closely with the programme’s research team, participate in the programme’s activities and become a part of its international network.Representation and Reality is a seven-year research programme that aims to analyse the Greek, Latin and Arabic reception of Aristotle’s theories of perception and concept-formation. The project plan that will be an assessment’s criterion (see below) must be conceived in connection with the programme’s focus of research.
Information about the programme’s focus of research is found on the programme’s website: http://representationandreality.gu.se/

Job assignments

The successful candidate is expected to devote her or his time primarily to the completion of obligatory course work and to write a doctoral dissertation in collaboration with the supervisor. He or she may, however, also undertake a limited amount of teaching, administration or research not directly connected to her or his dissertation topic. Such duties extend the position accordingly. As already mentioned, the doctoral student shall write the dissertation in connection with the programme´s focus of research. The doctoral student is also expected to participate in the department’s activities, such as workshops, seminars and conferences.

Eligibility

To be eligible for employment as graduate student in Latin the applicant has to, at the closing date of the call, meet both the general and the specific entry requirements for the doctoral programme in Latin. The general entry requirements for third-cycle (doctoral) programmes are: a second-cycle qualification/degree and at least 240 higher education (HE) credits for courses of which at least 60 HE credits are awarded in the second-cycle; or equivalent training either in Sweden or abroad. In addition, admission to the third-cycle programme in Latin requires: at least 30 HE credits in Latin at second-cycle level, at least 15 of which are from a degree project or equivalent; good reading skills in English and any other languages deemed relevant in order to benefit from international research related to the research task in question; the type(s) of English skills needed to benefit from Faculty-wide course activities and to be able to actively participate in seminars and similar activities; and at least 30 HE credits in ancient Greek.

Assessment

Following the Higher Education Ordinance Ch.7, applicants will be assessed based on their estimated ability to benefit from the study programme and on the Department’s resources to supervise them. To facilitate the selection process, applicants must submit:
1. Theses and degree projects, which are to be assessed based on the following criteria: a) Ability to autonomously identify and formulate relevant problems. b) Ability to conduct an argumentation with consideration to the tenability of the arguments. c) Application of scientific concepts in conjunction with the analysis of the data that are processed. d) High language competence in using source material. 2. A project plan describing the applicant’s desired focus of research as well as which theories, methods and material that may be relevant. Project drafts are assessed on the following criteria: a) Ability to formulate research questions/scientific problems. b) Familiarity with previous and current research in the area. c) Whether the formulated problems are linked to current research and whether they are relevant in relation to the opportunities presented by the material. d) Whether the described methods for collection and analysis of data are adequate. e) Whether the plan is deemed realistic with respect to the feasibility within the third-cycle study programme.

The project plan also forms a basis for assessment of the Department’s supervisory competence within the indicated research area. Admissions and selections are conditional on the Department’s resources to supervise within the doctoral student’s focus of research. In addition to the assessment of the submitted application the process may also include interviews. The research aim described in the project plan must in this case be clearly connected to the study of theories of perception and concept-formation in the Aristotelian tradition from antiquity to the early modern period. The candidate must be able to study unedited material. Documented competences in palaeography and textual criticism are therefore an advantage. Since a central aim of the research programme is to study the points of encounter between the different linguistic traditions of reception of the Aristotelian theories, proficiency in more than one of the relevant languages (i.e. ancient Greek, Latin and Arabic) is also an advantage. The quality of the project plan judged in accordance with the above-mentioned criteria is a decisive factor in the selection. A complete application must include: CV. Project plan (max. 6 pp.) Degree certificates and other documentation confirming the applicant’s qualifications. Two references with contact information. Written works (essays, thesis and other publications).